Community Benefit Patient Stories

What would happen if you were battling a serious illness and did not have health insurance? What would you do if a knee injury was keeping you from being able to take care of your child? What can we do to help prevent childhood obesity? The stories below demonstrate how Sutter Health partners with our patients to help meet their health care needs.

Emergency Gall Bladder Surgery - Jose's story

The night that Jose began to experience stomach pains, he thought he had a case of indigestion. But instead, the pain grew much worse. By the third day, his discomfort was so severe that he was doubled over. That is when his daughter took him to the emergency room at Sutter-affiliated Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Once there, he underwent tests and learned that the source of his pain was his gallbladder. Doctors explained that, with immediate surgery, his pain should be relieved. But Jose had no medical insurance, and he was worried.Jose's story

Getting Knee Repair Surgery - Norma's Story

Norma Gonzalez is one of hundreds of patients who have benefited from the Sutter/Operation Access partnership. When she was referred for care, she had been coping with severe knee pain for six years. “I had nowhere to turn,” she recalls. “My knee was hurting so bad that I couldn’t staystanding, and I was unable to work. It was a very sad and difficult time, especially because I was unable to care for my daughter.”Norma's story

Beating Colon Cancer - Rodney's Story

The moment Rodney Kamberg found out that he had colon cancer his world came to a crashing halt.

"When I started bleeding internally, I went to the doctor and within 48 hours I was diagnosed with colon cancer," says Kamberg, who lives in Santa Cruz. "I was told I had approximately 30 days to live, and if I didn't have surgery then I wasn't going to make it. And I was in a panic because I had no health insurance."Rodney's story